


Cabins, Charades, and Champagne

by Jsq86



Series: Write the Story prompts [2]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: All Human AU, Camping, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, Titles are hard, write the story prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2019-10-11
Packaged: 2020-12-09 05:37:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20989727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jsq86/pseuds/Jsq86
Summary: Alec has to spend the weekend with all of his married friends. Or so he thinks.





	Cabins, Charades, and Champagne

**Author's Note:**

  * For [khaleesiofalicante](https://archiveofourown.org/users/khaleesiofalicante/gifts).

> Dedicated to the best mutual! D, thank you for being my muse and getting me out of my writing slump 🖤
> 
> A Malec AU fic based on a prompt in a Write The Story book I bought recently. The only things to go by are the prompt (A Lifelong Bachelor Visiting Married Friends), and these words should be included:
> 
> ◇tick tock ◇factory ◇zoology ◇arrest ◇broadcast ◇comb ◇divorce ◇flap ◇harness ◇gaze

The sun was starting to set by the time Alec pulled up to the remote cabin set deep in the woods in the Adirondack region of upstate New York. He peered through his windshield as he parked, and shut the car off. They had all chipped in to rent what Isabelle had called a “cozy cabin in the woods,” yet this particular cabin was massive. He supposed it needed to be, though, in order to house three couples and himself for a whole weekend. 

He took a deep breath and sighed. He loved his friends, but being the only single one in their group of seven got old. It wouldn’t have been so terrible if Alec had been dating someone, or even if one of the three couples weren’t married. But he was literally the only single one. All three couples were newlyweds, having gotten married within months of one another, so none of them had been married for long, but Alec had been on the outside for a while. He tried not to let the loneliness get to him, but it was getting harder and harder. And while he hated the idea of being with someone just for the sake of not being single, he would’ve been lying if he said he would not have preferred it just for the weekend. He had almost resorted to asking a work colleague along, but didn’t want to make someone else feel awkward as well. So he decided to be a big boy and just go alone. 

He took another deep breath and let it out, then got out of the car and hefted his duffle bag out of the trunk. He knew he was late, there having been some issue at the factory his father’s company owned and operated. Alec oversaw the production there, but his dad had stepped in and taken over Alec’s duties that day knowing Alec had plans.

As he walked up to the door, he took in the outside area of the cabin. It looked to be three stories, with a wraparound deck, and was situated on a lake with its own dock. Other cabins dotted the perimeter, but none within a close walking distance. It was early fall, and the surrounding trees ranged in color from summer green still, to varying warm autumn shades of red, yellow, and orange. Alec knocked on the door, then entered, and was greeted by a jovial chorus of greetings from his friends and siblings. 

“Glad you finally made it,” Jace said from his spot on the couch. His wife Clary was curled into his side, his arm around her shoulders, and she waggled her small fingers at Alec, the diamond from her engagement ring glinting in the light. On the couch adjacent to them, Alec’s sister Isabelle and her husband Simon waved in greeting too. 

Alec rolled his eyes, then dumped his bag on the floor by his feet. “It’s not my fault I’m the one that got stuck with over seeing the factory,” he said, a slight hint of irritation in his voice. “Besides,” he added, “It looks like Magnus and Camille aren’t here yet, so I’m not _that_ late.” 

The four seated in front of the fireplace all looked at one another, then back at Alec. “Did Magnus tell you Camille was coming?” Isabelle asked finally, after a confused silence. Alec sat down in a rocking chair near the door. 

“No, I haven’t even talked to him. Why?” 

The group of four looked at one another again before Clary spoke up this time. “Alec, Magnus and Camille got a divorce.” 

Alec almost tumbled out of his chair at the sudden news. “Wait, what? When did that happen?” 

“I don’t know…beginning of the summer maybe?” Clary said, thinking it over, and Alec suddenly felt like a grade A asshole. It was nearing the end of September—they were in the midst of the kind of weather that brought on still warm afternoons that turned into chilly nights—and that meant that Magnus hadn’t been with Camille for about three months, and not one person had thought to tell Alec. 

“You didn’t know that?” Jace asked, quirking an eyebrow. “When’s the last time you guys talked?” 

Alec ran an annoyed hand through his hair. “I don’t know. I’ve been busy, okay? So sue me.” He huffed and fell back against the hard wood of the chair as the air around the room seemed to grow thicker by the minute with awkward tension. 

“Well, he’s on his way. He just had a few things to take care of first,” Clary said softly. Alec tried not to let the glee he felt that Magnus was still coming show on his face, his gaze trained away from everyone, on the tv that no one seemed to be watching. He figured after getting divorced, Magnus wouldn’t have wanted to stay in a cabin with mostly couples for a whole weekend. “Yours and Magnus’s room is downstairs if you want to put your bag away,” Clary added. 

Alec’s head snapped to attention. “Our room? Singular?” 

“Well, there’s only three bedrooms…and you guys are both single…” Simon said, as if the answer was obvious. 

“No, that’s fine, I just…was making sure,” Alec said, then stood up. He could feel his face heating up, knowing everyone was looking at him, so he busied himself by picking his bag back up. He glanced up through his dark hair and saw Clary point her finger in the direction of the stairs, so he turned wordlessly and left. 

The downstairs was much the same as the upstairs but lacked a fireplace and had a bedroom set off from the living area. A bedroom with only one bed. Alec dropped his bag to the floor and sat down on the one bed and closed his eyes. _ It’s just a weekend, Lightwood. Get a grip._

Alec couldn’t get a grip though. He had had feelings for Magnus for as long as he could remember. And he was pretty sure everyone knew it and he faintly wondered if this was some kind of sick joke they were all playing on him. Sure, Magnus was single now, but that didn’t mean anything unless he felt the same, and Alec knew he didn’t. It was bad enough Alec had been the best man at Magnus’s wedding, where every minute closer to Magnus and Camille’s vows had meant a minute closer to the end of Alec and Magnus’s friendship. 

His friends must have all thought Alec was an ass for not knowing what had happened with Magnus, and while they still talked occasionally, Alec hadn’t been able to bring himself to be around Magnus and Camille much since they’d been married. It was the same with his siblings too. He still kept in touch with Jace and Isabelle because they were related. But married couples to Alec might as well have been on a different planet. It was no longer Jace, Clary, Isabelle, Simon, Magnus, Camille, and Alec. Now it was them, and him. Except now it was them, and him and Magnus. 

Before Alec could start having a crisis over the whole thing, he heard the door upstairs open and more greetings exchanged, which meant Magnus had just arrived. Alec’s heartbeat sped up. Wiping his palms on his jeans, he stood up and took what felt like his tenth deep breath that day, then started up the stairs. As he rounded the corner into the living room, he could see everyone, happy and hugging Magnus, and while he wanted to be annoyed that no one had gotten up to hug _him_, he could only look on with adoration at Magnus. Magnus must have sensed Alec standing behind him, for he turned suddenly, a wide grin spreading across his face. 

“Alexander!” he beamed and pulled Alec in for a hug. Alec, shocked at first, relented and gripped him tightly, closing his eyes, reveling in the feel of Magnus in his arms after being away from him for so long, both physically and emotionally. When he opened his eyes, he saw the rest of the room staring back at him, knowing looks on their faces, and he quickly pulled away. 

“Um, let-let me help you take your things downstairs,” Alec offered and went to grab one of Magnus’s two suitcases, but Magnus flapped his hand in protest. “No need. Everyone catch up and I’ll be back up in a minute,” Magnus insisted. He picked up his bags and made his way downstairs, and when he was out of ear shot, Alec fell in a heap into the rocking chair, while his friends tried, and failed, to hide their laughter. 

—

“Bunjee jumping!” 

“A harness!” 

“Uh, a sex swing!” 

Alec stopped his hand motions and stared at Jace, who smirked and shrugged. 

“Sky diving!” Magnus shouted. Alec nodded, and switched spots with him. “Sex swing? Really?” Alec asked Jace as he took his seat next to the blonde, secretly hoping Jace wasn’t speaking from experience. They’d been playing charades outside for the last hour, though no one knew who was winning, or if anyone was even keeping score. 

Magnus picked a slip of paper out of the bowl Clary held in her lap, studied it, then crumbled it up and tossed it into the fire pit in front of him. He began acting out what was on the paper as his friends called out answers. 

“Telescope!” 

“Uh…news broadcast!” 

“Movie projector!” 

Magnus pointed to Isabelle, who smiled in triumph and stood up. 

“Hey, I’ll be right back,” Alec interjected before the next round could start, and he stood up too. “I’m gonna go grab a sweater from inside.” He heard the next round get under way behind him as he walked the short distance back to the cabin, glad to be away from the couples, if only for a few minutes. There was a door on the ground floor leading to the downstairs where his and Magnus’s bedroom was, so he entered and rifled though his bag for a sweater, which he promptly put on over the worn tee he was currently wearing. On the dresser he could see Magnus had already unpacked a few things and laid them out neatly, including several makeup items, a brush and comb set that were both free of stray hairs, and a small framed photo of his cat, Chairman Meow. Alec smiled to himself as he looked at the items, then turned to leave, banging right into Magnus.

“Whoa, jeez, sorry!” he exclaimed, and Magnus laughed and gripped Alec’s elbows to steady him. 

“It’s okay. I didn’t mean to sneak up on you.” 

Alec took a step back, their close proximity and Magnus’s hands on him suddenly making him flustered. “Uh, what are you doing up here? I was just on my way back down.” 

Magnus shrugged and sat down on the bed. “I don’t know. Kind of felt like a fifth wheel,” he laughed lightly, though Alec could tell he was putting on a brave face for him. He cleared his throat and leaned back against the dresser. 

“Listen, I um…I’m sorry about you and Camille. I didn’t realize you guys had split up. What happened?” 

Magnus looked up at Alec then, and Alec immediately felt foolish for asking. “I mean, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” he said, waving his hands in front of him. 

Magnus just laughed again. “No, it’s ok. I uh—I guess we were just in different places. She told me she wanted to pursue a career in…zoology or something, I don’t know. So she went back to school, we never saw each other, then when we did, we were always fighting…” 

Alec nodded along as he spoke. 

“Oh, and she cheated on me,” Magnus added, and Alec flinched. 

“Shit, I’m sorry,” he said and sat down heavily next to his friend. They sat in silence then, the tick tock from an old analog clock on the wall suddenly much too loud in the quiet of the room. 

“I’m also sorry,” Alec said in a small voice, “that I wasn’t around when it happened. I should’ve been there for you.” 

“I get it,” Magnus answered softly. 

Alec leaned back on his hands and shook his head. “I don’t think you do.” 

“What do you mean?” Magnus wondered, and he furrowed his brow. Alec cleared his throat again. “I, uh—I have to tell you something.” 

“What is it? You know you can tell me anything, Alexander.” 

Alec’s heart melted whenever Magnus called him that, and he bit his lip. “Magnus, I—“

But their conversation was arrested by the sound of knocking on the door that led outside. It opened, and Isabelle peeked her head in. “Hey, we’re getting ready to make s’mores. You guys coming?” 

“Yeah, we’ll be right there,” Alec answered. Isabelle gave them a small smile, then shut the door behind her. Alec stood up then and Magnus followed, but he touched the other man’s arm before he could walk out. He raised his eyebrows at Alec in question, but Alec only ducked his head. “I’ll, uh—I’ll tell you later,” he promised, and before Magnus could argue, Alec was walking out the door. 

—

The s’mores were a welcome treat, though Jace had managed to somehow get marshmallow all over the front of his shirt. 

“We can’t take you anywhere,” Alec laughed and shook his head as Jace tried to peel the sticky mess off of himself. “Bro, you’re only making it worse,” Simon added as he looked on in horror. 

“It’s too bad one of us can’t just snap our fingers and get rid of it,” Magnus shrugged. Clary stood up then and stretched. “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up,” she said. She held her hand out to Jace, but quickly changed her mind, and just beckoned him to follow her. They both said goodnight to everyone and turned to walk back up to the cabin. 

“I’m getting kind of tired too. You ready to turn in?” Isabelle asked Simon and he nodded, trying to stifle a yawn. 

“You guys coming?” He turned to Alec and Magnus. 

“Think we’ll stay a little longer,” Alec said. As Magnus threw another log into the fire pit, Isabelle winked at her brother and he rolled his eyes as she and Simon walked away. 

“This was fun,” Alec spoke up after a few minutes of silence. Magnus turned to him then. “So?” he said, and propped his chin in his hand, then raised a perfectly arched eyebrow at Alec. No small talk for Magnus then, Alec thought to himself and he laughed. 

“So.” 

He bounced his leg anxiously, then readjusted himself in his chair, turning in his seat so he was facing Magnus instead of the fire pit. “There was a reason why I never reached out to you after you got married,” he said, after gathering his thoughts. 

“I just assumed you were busy with your father’s company,” Magnus guessed. 

Alec shook his head. “That wasn’t the only reason. I just…I couldn’t stand to see you two together.” 

“Do you…like her?” Magnus asked skeptically. 

“What? No!” 

“You hated her.” 

“No, I…well maybe a little.” 

“Fair enough,” Magnus shrugged. 

“No, listen,” Alec huffed, starting to get frustrated. “It wasn’t Camille, it was you.” 

Magnus blinked in surprise, and Alec could see he had taken the comment the wrong way, could see the hurt behind his eyes, the wheels turning in his head, trying to make sense of it. 

“Magnus, I—“ he took a deep breath. “I like you. _So_ much. And it killed me to see you with Camille. With _anyone_. And I don’t want this to affect our friendship, but I thought you should know. That’s why I wasn’t ever around. Why I never reached out. I’m sorry.” He’d faced the fire pit once again, not able to meet Magnus’s eyes, and every second of silence that ticked away felt like an ocean-sized rift forming between them. He suddenly regretted saying anything, remembering that he and Magnus still had to share a room, share a _bed_, and boy was he fucked. 

Before he could have a crisis over _that_, though, Magnus had plunked his chair down across from him. Alec, startled by the sudden appearance of Magnus in front of him, jumped and leaned back in his chair. 

“Alexander,” Magnus said sternly, and Alec could only blink. Magnus took one of Alec’s hands in his own and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I like you too,” he said softly, “_so_ much,” and Alec just gaped. Magnus sighed then, looking down at their linked hands. “I didn’t tell you this earlier, but it was one of the reasons we broke up. I think she knew how I felt about you, and while I loved her too, after she went back to school, your absence made _her_ absence that much harder. I just felt so alone, and then I found out she cheated on me…” he trailed off. 

Alec put his free hand on Magnus’s cheek, and Magnus looked up. He saw the fire behind him reflected in Alec’s blue eyes, and it mirrored Magnus’s burning desire for him, a desire he’d felt since they’d met, that he’d always thought wasn’t reciprocated. Alec’s lips parted like he wanted to say something to Magnus. And he did want to. He wanted to say so many things. To apologize over and over for not being there. For being selfish. For being a coward. 

He said nothing, though, only leaned forward and kissed him. And Magnus kissed him back, and he gripped Alec’s hand tighter. And Alec’s other hand slid down below Magnus’s collar bone, dipping into the v-neck of his shirt, and he felt Magnus’s heart thundering in his chest, and he pulled away, trying to catch his breath. 

“See what you do to me?” Magnus whispered. Alec used his other hand to place Magnus’s over his own heart, which beat rapidly under his sweater. “I do,” he whispered back, his mouth quirking up on one side. He had started to lean in once more when they both heard a loud pop from the direction of the cabin, and whooping and hollering. They both looked up to see the outlines of their friends in the dark, seated in chairs on the wraparound deck. 

“Finally!” they heard Isabelle shout. 

“We have champagne!” Simon called out too, over the sound of the rest of them clapping.

“Jesus,” Alec muttered. Magnus snickered and stood up, then held his hands out to Alec, who happily took them and let Magnus pull him to his feet. 

“I hear there’s a hot tub,” Magnus said as they started walking toward the cabin. “Some bubbly in the bubbles?” He waggled his eyebrows at Alec. Alec snerked and bumped Magnus with his shoulder. “You’re the worst,” he said, and smiled.


End file.
